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Steps at Stevens: Designing a safe path to the west side of ‘Westside’

West Seattle High School is also fondly known as “Westside,” but it’s not easy to get safely to the west side of Westside on foot. A new project called Steps at Stevens will fix that – thanks to a city matching-fund grant. Here’s the official overview:

The Steps at Stevens project proposes a safe non-vehicular route from 3000 California Avenue SW, at SW Stevens Street, to West Seattle High School. Stairs, an accessible pathway, and a walkway to the school building’s primary entrance will promote everyday safe transit. Landscape and wayfinding will further enhance West Seattle High School’s primary entrance and strengthen community connections.

The first major step toward Steps at Stevens is happening right now – the West Seattle High School PTSA, one of the project sponsors, has issued a Request for Qualifications, seeking those interested in design/consultant work for the project, made possible by the $20,000 matching-fund grant. The deadline to get in on this is March 24th,and you can read all about it here.

ADDED 9:51 PM: If you’re interested in even more information, project organizers forwarded text of a story that is in a recent edition of the WSHS student news publication but is not otherwise available online. It’s republished with its writer’s permission.

This is wonderful news. However, I continue to be dismayed by the City’s lack of accountability when it comes to pedestrian safety around schools. How is it not required by law that the city put crosswalks and traffic calming measures around every school when it is opened? School attendance is mandatory by law. SPS keeps decreasing bus service to encourage more children to walk to school. However, whether the children can safely access a school is somehow at the whim of a grant committee? If a school is lucky enough to have a gifted grant writer to begin with.
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SDOT should be ashamed of itself. Pedestrian safety around schools should not have to rely on multi-year grant cycles. Period.

There was years back a pretty established dirt trail along that entire hillside parallel to the parking lot for pedestrians and BMX bikes. The other issue if you have ever noticed is after an event at the school traffic leaving ,the driveway in the left of the photograph is unable to exit with the heavy flow of traffic on say a Friday night or any night. The exiting driveway feed almost directly into a stoplight controlled intersection.

But there isn’t a safety issue with pedestrians here…. @stringcheese your comment would apply if there were incidents but there just aren’t at this intersection. This is a waste of time and money for WSHS

I google”earthed” it. As I thought, if the above photo is correct, those steps go to the parking lot. So is the idea is to have students walk through the parking lot? That is not a safe management practice. There already is a sidewalk a few feet away.

@Ian, I was speaking more broadly of the city’s lack of accountability when it comes to street issues around schools. Roxhill continues to have multiple issues concerning Roxbury and, most recently, there is the failure of the city to secure safety on Delridge prior to the opening of K-5 STEM.
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The city has been aware of the fact that 85% of the cars traveling down Delridge are doing so at over the 35mph. Not to mention the 20mph school zone that is almost universally ignored. It has been known since February of 2012 that an elementary school was opening on this site. However, flashing beacons (though installed a month ago) are still not operational. Then there is the need for a mid-street crosswalk that was brought to the city’s attention in June of 2012 that was willfully ignored. So, families are put in a real-life game of frogger. 350 students travel to and from school on Delridge everyday. Next year, with the co-location of Arbor Heights, that number will double. How is it that the city doesn’t feel a responsibility to ensure 700 students can safely, walk, bus, bike, or ride to school everyday?
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Again, how is there not a law demanding traffic safety measures be in place BEFORE a school (new or reopened) opens its doors?

For those interested, the project organizers have forwarded a text doc with a story that is apparently in the latest edition of the WSHS news publication but is not online. I’m adding it, embedded via Scribd, above.

Apparently my comment yesterday was too snarky? I still think that this is quite silly. The Picture at the top of this story shows a lighted and market crosswalk headed to a sidewalk. I just don’t get the need for a $20,000 anything here. Maybe buy some textbooks or reduce the price of the yearbooks?

Curtis, it is not snarky, it is logic. There are 2 lighted cross walks there that have very few, if any, issues as it is. They are safe already and this is not needed. I agree with you, if they feel they have a hole burning in their pocket they should do something with it that will serve a better purpose.

(Common loon in winter plumage, photographed by Mark Wangerin) Lots of good cheer - and some community involvement too - in our highlights for the rest of today/tonight, from the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide and Event Calendar: COCOA CRIS CRINGLE: 4-8 pm photo sessions at Easy Street Records, rais...